Apple Will Hit $1,650 by the End of 2015: Analyst

John Valentovic|Special to CNBC.com

Published 2:00 PM ET Wed, 28 March 2012
CNBC.com

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On a day where Apple shares hit $621, yet another new high for the company, one analyst speaking in a CNBC interview boldly predicted that shares will hit $1,650 by the end of 2015, in large part because there will soon be just as many tablets sold as PCs.

According to Eric Jackson, founder of Ironfire Capital and a hedge fundmanager, many consumers who are purchasing iPhones and iPads are also becoming increasingly interested in purchasing laptops, as well.

“Macs are growing at 26 percent annually in the last year and I think the pace is increasing,” Jackson said. “Assuming the pace continues, Macs could sell something like 50 million units by 2015.”

At this point, though, Macs make up only nine percent market share of the PC industry, but the industry is still growing, despite all of the negative talk that surrounds it.

Meanwhile, the tablets have come a long way in a short period of time. Jackson noted that two years ago, the market didn’t even exist, but now iPads account for 20 percent of Apple’s business, which is a trend he fully expects to continue. In fact, many people in and around the industry feel it’s not unreasonable to think that 500 million tablets could be sold by 2015.

While Jackson has very high expectations for Apple’s long-term outlook, he doesn’t think its stock can sustain its short-term success, saying it has gotten “ahead of itself.” He went on to predict that the shares will retreat to $500 before they reach $700, but listed Apple TV and mobile payments as reasons he thinks Apple will acheieve its ultimate success, referring to those two areas as “underestimated.”

“The payments market is huge and ripe for a company like Apple,” Jackson said.